Bear Defense Plots Against The Spread Of Lions` Run-and-shoot

The disease is known as the run-and-shoot. The symptoms include a rash of passes, trembling defenses and high-scoring games.

The Bears think they have found a cure. They`ll apply it Sunday when the Detroit Lions, carriers of this latest menace to the NFL, invade Soldier Field.

``Most teams have changed their philosophy against us,`` said Lions coach Wayne Fontes. ``A year ago, some teams played seven defensive backs, and most teams played six. By doing that, of course, Barry Sanders ran wild.

``Now most teams are playing five defensive backs and keeping six big people in the game, trying to take our run away. The thing we have to do is become more effective throwing the football.``

The Bears had success defending against the run-and-shoot offenses of Seattle and Atlanta this season. But the Lions (4-7) have scored 253 points, an average of 23 a game, with an attack featuring four wide receivers, one running back and no tight end.

The run-and-shoot represents a major challenge to the Bears` secondary, which has 16 of the team`s 21 interceptions. That`s especially so with injuries to David Tate (ankle, questionable), Lemuel Stinson (knee, out for season) and Donnell Woolford (ankle, probable).

``The run-and-shoot looks more like a nightmare than a challenge at times,`` said free safety Mark Carrier, who has five interceptions. ``You think of the run-and-shoot as throwing the ball all over the place. But they really don`t throw the ball deep as much as people think.

``They have timing routes; they don`t just throw the ball up for grabs. They spread you out to be in a lot of one-on-one situations. With good pressure and good coverage, there is an opportunity to make an interception.`` Said outside linebacker Ron Rivera: ``The key is to play your assignment. If you have to play zone, get your depth. If you have to play man, stay with your man. Stay inside him and force him to run out, so the ball is thrown over your head.

``This (run-and-shoot) is nothing new-wave like everybody was talking about before. Teams know how to defend it now.

``Barry Sanders is so effective. With his ability to run and catch, you have to keep one or two linebackers in the game. We have noticed that when a team uses only one linebacker, there are just five men within what we call the tackle area. The Lions run the ball very effectively against that. But when you leave two or three linebackers in, they lose the effectiveness to run the ball.

``I may have to earn my paycheck this week. We are going to use linebackers (instead of extra defensive backs) in situations.``

The Lions` 421 total yards in a 40-27 Thanksgiving Day victory over Denver was their highest offensive output since 1986.

``They really spread you out with four wide receivers,`` said secondary coach Zaven Yaralian. ``They read your defense and then run or throw. You have to be sound. You can`t do stupid things back there where you don`t see the football when it is being run or are out of position when they are throwing. They attack the zones so well that you have to mix your zone and man coverages.

``It is very important to communicate back there, because they change their offense depending on what we are doing. We are going to mix it up. We don`t want them to dictate what we want to do. The main thing is, we can`t give up big plays. If we prevent that, we will get turnovers eventually.``

Rodney Peete, Bob Gagliano and first-round draft pick Andre Ware have played quarterback for Detroit this season. Peete, normally the starter, has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and is listed as doubtful for Sunday. So who will start?

``Right now, it is a tossup,`` said Fontes. ``If Rodney Peete is healthy enough, he will start. If he is not close to being 100 percent, then I will start Bob Gagliano. I won`t know that for another couple of days.

``Rodney`s arm strength is a little better than Bob`s, he is getting better and better at calling audibles and he has more movement than Bob has. Bob probably has a little better knowledge of what to do against certain defenses. His audibles are a little better than Rodney`s at this time.``

Fontes, in his third season as Lions head coach, remains gung-ho about the run-and-shoot.

``It gives us our best opportunity to win right now. It causes a lot of problems for teams. The thing we have to do is not change it at all but add things to it to get better and look for different ways to get the ball to Barry Sanders. When this season and I go over all the things I have in my mind, I think this offense will really take off.``

Sanders, last year`s Rookie of the Year, leads the NFC in rushing with 844 yards on 167 carries, a 5.1-yard average. The Bears` Neal Anderson is second with 806 yards.

``You just have to tackle him-I can`t put it any simpler than that,``

linebacker Mike Singletary said of Sanders. ``He is very elusive, and he has so much open space to run in because you have everybody spread out.

``When he hits the open hole against an aggressive defense such as we have, with guys running all over trying to hustle to the ball, that presents a lot of problems. We have to slow down a bit and not overrun the football.``

How would Anderson flourish in a run-and-shoot offense?

``It is hard to tell. For some running backs, it is a pretty good offense,`` said Anderson. ``I watched Monday night when Houston did it, and Lorenzo White once went about 20 yards on a draw. The linebackers and the secondary didn`t see him because they were chasing the receivers. So it has its pluses for running backs.

``But I am sure Houston and Detroit would rather have our record than theirs.``